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American Morning
Threatened New York Closes Brooklyn Bridge
Aired May 22, 2002 - 09:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Up front this morning, New York on alert following new terror warnings. They indicate the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge could be targets. And that famous span was closed this morning for a brief period of time.
And it also happens to be Fleet Week. More than a dozen naval vessels and some 6,000 sailors are expected to begin arriving in the harbor in an hour or two.
CNN's Deborah Feyerick is standing by at the Brooklyn Bridge with the very latest -- good morning, Deborah.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Well, traffic is moving over the Brooklyn Bridge. It was closed for about an hour this morning. Police investigating a suspicious package -- turns out that that package was nothing.
There is a checkpoint at the entrance. Police are searching some cars. It's slow going, but certainly it's a lot better than it was when the cars were waved away.
Now, security is definitely tighter because of the FBI information naming the Brooklyn Bridge as a possible target. The FBI says the information is unsubstantiated. There's no time, there's no date, there's no indication as to how such an attack may take place.
This threat is not a done deal by any stretch. However, the FBI got information from an al Qaeda detainee; they're checking it out trying to confirm it with their sources. The FBI decided to pass on the joint terrorism task force because they do have the name of a possible target. So it's better that the NYPD is able to take the necessary precautions. One terror expert says this is America's new reality.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE BROOKS, SECURITY ANALYST: We're in the game. We were in the game before 9/11 and a lot of people didn't realize we were in a game. And this game they're playing for keeps.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: ... the Statue of Liberty. The island is open, but the statute itself is closed as it has been since September 11. It is Fleet Week, and so there is a lot of security in New York's harbor. Of course nobody wants a repeat of what happened with the USS Cole.
Now, officially, there's no FBI alert or warning. There's no NYPD alert. The city is definitely not in crisis mode. What officials are saying is that we are really keeping our eyes open; we want you to keep your eyes open as well.
And, Paula the bridge is over here. The World Trade Center (UNINTELLIGIBLE). The lesson here: better safe than sorry.
ZAHN: All right. Deborah, thanks for that live update.
One of your colleagues, Michael Okwu, is standing by at Battery Park City near the place where the ferries for the Statue of Liberty depart in the Hudson River.
Good morning, Michael. What's going on there?.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
It is a beautiful morning here today, and we are told that the forecast is going to be 68 to 70 degrees today, sunny skies. But it's supposed to be a very festive occasion here today. Some 20 ships are making their way or going to make their way up the Hudson River at about 10:30 this morning. It is the largest deployment from the Atlantic fleet to the New York Harbor in the 15-year history of Fleet Week.
And we are told it's all going to happen amidst a great deal of security. The U.S. Coast Guard says they are at their most heightened state of alert since World War II. Just a sense of some of the measures they're putting in place this morning.
There is a 200-yard restricted zone around any U.S. naval vessel that is anchored or that is moored. But they have had measures in place since 9/11. Just for example, they say that no vessel will be allowed within 150 yards of the United Nations or Ellis Island or Liberty Island, which, of course, is where the Statue of Liberty is located.
And they also say that no vessel may operate within 25 yards of any bridge, pier, abutment, tunnel ventilator or waterfront facilities. All of this will be monitored by personnel aboard a blimp who will be essentially relaying images from high-impact, high- resolution cameras to two security stations down on the ground.
But of course the main story here will be, of course, a glorious display of battleships, U.S. battleships that will make their way across the Hudson -- Paula.
ZAHN: Looking forward to the show. Thanks so much, Michael Okwu.
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